As Lightning Strikes
by xytera
Summary: They've come together after a history of blood and hate, but the chasm seems ever wider when lightning strikes the rift between them. MadaTobi
1. A Foreboding Disturbance

Credits to Kishimoto Masashi for the characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Foreboding Disturbance**

* * *

Kagami was on his way to meet his teammates at the training ground when he spotted his clan leader striding through the village gates. Obviously back from his mission, the man looked rather travel worn with his long, wild black hair more disheveled than usual and infamous gunbai looking more bloodied than it normally was – not including the bloodstains his dark clothes must be hiding.

Madara paused just inside the gates after a brief acknowledgement of the guards' greetings, head swiveling left and right in a manner not unlike a predator scenting its prey. Smiling mischievously, Kagami headed over to his clan leader. Danzo and Torifu could wait.

"Sensei is on a mission," Kagami helpfully informed the elder Uchiha.

Madara snapped his coal-black eyes to Kagami's identical ones. The man had the most intense gaze Kagami had ever encountered. Luckily he had grown up around the clan leader to know well enough that Madara wasn't quite as scary as he looked most of the time – something that not even the other clans expected, seeing that the Uchiha children all adored their leader and aspired to be like him.

There was a short but drawn-out pause as if Madara were considering denying seeking out a specific chakra signature as soon as he arrived home. Kagami retained a neutral smile, but he was thoroughly amused by this.

"...Where?" Madara finally said, apparently deciding to cut to the chase.

This time Kagami grinned in full entertainment. "Sensei specifically instructed us to not inform you of his whereabouts. He said he'll be gone for about two weeks and that you absolutely cannot storm off after him right after you got back from your mission."

Said in nearly the exact same words Tobirama-sensei had said just before leaving on his mission. The scowl that stole over Madara's face would have been terrifying to anyone who didn't know the Uchiha leader. Kagami resisted laughing else he'd be turned into charred barbecue.

" _He_ ," Madara said, glowering at Kagami with a look that would have cowed anyone else, "is not the leader of _my_ clan. Now tell me where he is."

"Meeting an informant on Lightning borders towards Kumo," Kagami responded obediently while silently apologizing to his Sensei. Well, it wasn't like he couldn't not disobey a direct order from his clan leader. And besides, he was certain Sensei wouldn't be _that_ upset with him (he could always drag Hiruzen into the mess considering he still had to pay the mischievous Sarutobi back for the last prank involving rampaging monkeys, Danzo with glittery pink hair, screaming women running naked out of the bathhouse with a murderous Koharu, and a drenched and _very_ displeased Sensei). Plus, while he knew Sensei was strong and reliable, he was concerned since the rumors along Fire Country's and Lightning Country's borders had been quite worrisome of late.

"When did he leave?" Madara demanded.

"About two days ago," Kagami said, tapping a finger on his chin as if in thought. "On a solo mission. He may or may not have mentioned the exact details to the Shodaime..."

Madara's eyes sharpened like a kunai at Kagami's throat. "And _where_ is our esteemed Hokage?"

"Ah, I believe the Shodaime is in his office preparing to leave for a meeting with the Land of Fire's representatives," Kagami shrugged, trying not to laugh at the mocking tone Madara had used to refer to the man touted as the God of Shinobi. An intimidating title it was, but once one _met_ Senju Hashirama...well, it was quite the experience in itself.

Madara's scowl deepened before the man abruptly vanished in a swirl of leaves. Kagami chuckled. He so enjoyed watching his clan leader's and Sensei's awkwardly adorable romance. If only the two weren't so stubborn – Sensei especially. Ah well, things were so much more interesting this way.

Whistling a cheery tune, Kagami continued on his way to the training grounds.

 **-~~o0O0o~~-**

"Hashirama!" Madara bellowed threateningly as soon as he appeared in the Hokage's office in a swirl of slightly charred leaves from his burning chakra.

Said childhood friend looked up from his stacks of paperwork and scrolls in surprise before he smiled obliviously. As usual, it was cluttered in here without Tobirama's interference. Scrolls and papers were piled both on the desk and floor, even jammed into the bursting cabinets and shelves filled with books. A clay cup of cold tea and half eaten dango sat by the papers Hashirama was currently doodling on. What looked suspiciously like dango sauce was smeared onto the paper in the shape of a crooked smiley face.

"Madara! Welcome back. I trust the mission went well?" Hashirama greeted, looking quite happy for the distraction. It was well-known that Hashirama was a competent and loved Hokage, but he also had a habit of sneaking off to "mingle with the villagers" much to Tobirama's annoyance since it was usually Tobirama who had to drag him back to his work.

"Do you have any idea where you allowed you brother to go?!" Madara snapped, dismissing the query entirely.

Hashirama's expressive features – unbecoming for a shinobi as Tobirama often told him – displayed his confusion. "Tobirama? He said he was meeting an informant and would be gone for a couple weeks…"

"He went to Lightning Country! _Alone_!" Madara roared, ready to throttle the man, friend or not.

Hashirama's eyes went wide. "Lightning?"

"Yes, you half-wit!" Madara snapped, chakra flaring dangerously with his ire since it was clear that _Hashirama_ hadn't known exactly where Tobirama had gone while _Kagami had_.

"Calm down, Madara," Hashirama said a tad nervously at the dark, slightly murderous glower on him, raising his hands in an attempt at a calming gesture. "I'm certain he's fine…Tobirama is one of the most capable shinobi in the Land of Fire after all."

Madara couldn't argue with that, but he was still irked with Hashirama's obliviousness. Then again, Tobirama was a sly one and had likely provided just enough details of his secret mission to prevent his brother from questioning him further. Madara had witnessed the Senju brother's interactions enough to know that there was a lot of things that Tobirama kept from Hashirama – which wasn't really a surprise considering Tobirama was already a rather reclusive person.

And Tobirama's students were all much too nosy in their Sensei's personal life, in Madara's opinion, following him around adoringly despite already having become chūnin this past month. It wasn't really much of a surprise that Kagami knew, considering his young clan member idolized Tobirama with a passion that had even Madara on his toes...Tobirama was fond of the boy, and Madara certainly didn't need _another_ rival, and not to mention his own kin! The Sarutobi and Shimura boys had duked out during their genin years to vie for their sensei's attention – which had somewhat succeeded since Tobirama had had his hands full smacking them over the heads, leaving Madara left scrambling for whatever scraps of attention Tobirama had for him...thankfully those days would be over since the chūnin were now considered adults and no longer under Tobirama's wing...

Growling in irritation at the Senju brothers, Madara fixed a glare on the older Senju sibling before him once more.

"Give me his mission scroll," he barked out. Whether Hashirama knew where his brother was or not didn't matter, since the coordinates would have been sealed into the mission scroll archives...and even if Hashirama _approved_ of missions, he wasn't always the one looking at the exact details (it was normally Tobirama) and Tobirama knew exactly how to get what he wanted without the Hokage's interference or permission.

"But you just got back from a mission," Hashirama pointed out, looking at Madara's ragged stated of dress and blood stained gunbai. Not to mention the man was nearly out of chakra.

Madara merely looked at him with an expression that clearly stated, _So what?_ Hashirama grumbled to himself. Tobirama and Madara could be so difficult sometimes. Madara hated to be separated from him for long bouts of time considering the mission he'd just been on was supposed to be _three weeks_ and he'd just finished it within a _week_. And well, Tobirama was the opposite. His little brother was getting aggravated with the Uchiha leader hovering over him everywhere he went (evident in the past month whenever Madara barged in his office looking for Tobirama and Tobirama vanishing with hiraishin as soon as he caught a whiff of Madara's chakra).

"How about we send Izuna instead?" Hashirama attempted to negotiate. Madara would trust his own little brother more than another random shinobi.

"No," Madara said instantly. "Izuna just got back from his mission."

That had been over a week ago, which was more than enough time to recuperate after a mission, but Hashirama wasn't going to argue about Madara babying his little brother. Izuna would not be happy about it _again_ after Madara had very nearly locked him into a tower with cushions all around when he'd received an injury that had put him to bed rest for several days after a mission had gone awry. Tobirama had disappeared somewhere leaving Hashirama to deal with a furious Izuna and upset Madara. His little brother could be so mean...

"Tobirama will be reporting back in two days – that's when he should reach Lightning Country, if that's where he was heading. If there's anything wrong, you can go to him right away, but _please_ rest for now, Madara," Hashirama said, giving Madara his best puppy look. Madara would be entirely chakra exhausted if he went after Tobirama now. As much as Hashirama himself worried after Tobirama every time he went off on a mission, as the Hokage of Konoha, he knew all he could do was trust in his little brother and every other shinobi who left the village.

Madara scowled at him, but eventually he caved when Hashirama put all his might into the pleading look.

"Fine," Madara grumbled, crossing his arms in a fashion he'd picked up from Tobirama. "I'll wait for two days but no more than that...even if he's fine I'm still going after him."

Hashirama knew that was all he would get and nodded in some relief. Perhaps Tobirama could see the future (Hashirama honestly wouldn't be very surprised if this was the case considering the incredible array of jutsus Tobirama had created since he'd been a mere eight-years-old, and not to mention the uncanny knack Tobirama had for knowing things he shouldn't) because when he'd left for his mission, he had told Hashirama very specifically to order Madara not to come after him under any circumstances, or to just delay him at the very least. It was as if Tobirama had known that Madara would come back from his mission in a week rather than three...And also Tobirama was going to get an ear full for not telling him all the details of the mission. The rumors surrounding Kumo were troubling, and it was currently a very dangerous zone with the news of powerful rogue shinobi gathering around its borders.

Madara sent him one last glower, throwing his mission report at Hashirama before sweeping out of the room. Hashirama caught the scroll before it smacked him in the face and sighed, though he did find it endearing how his prickly friend clung to Tobirama. And even if Tobirama didn't outwardly show his affections for Madara, Hashirama knew (from previous experience) that Tobirama would have drowned Madara by now if he disliked Madara's overbearing ways of showing affection. Tobirama could be cute that way…though not many others seemed to realize just how adorable his little brother could be.

Hashirama grinned goofily to himself until he notice the stacks of papers and scrolls again. He needed to get all of these done before leaving the village. With a groan, he thumped his head onto the desk. These would take forever to do without Tobirama's help…maybe he should take a break? Yeah, that definitely sounded like a good idea!

Grinning, Hashirama leapt up. It was nearly lunchtime anyway, and Mito would be on her break from helping at the hospital around this time. In addition, Izuna was not on missions at the moment, so he should have time to join them. Plus, Madara was probably hungry after such a tough mission!

 **-~~o0O0o~~-**

"Would you stop pacing, brother? You'll be pacing in the earth's core at the rate you're going," Izuna complained, putting down the scroll he was – or had been trying to at least – read.

Madara paused in his pacing, throwing a scowl in Izuna's direction. Without saying anything, Madara went to the window and gazed out into the dark Uchiha compound courtyard highlighted by the moonlight. Izuna could tell Madara wasn't looking at anything in particular, however. His brother seemed to be deep in thought, as he had been for the past two days since he'd returned from his mission.

"If this is about Tobirama, I'm sure he's fine. You, of all people, should know that he can take care of himself," Izuna said. Sure, he and Tobirama had been rivals in the past and had nearly killed each other multiple times, but he rather liked the Senju once they had gotten to know each other after the village's founding. They both shared their exasperation for their older brothers after all. Plus, Tobirama's invented jutsus were cool – not that he'd ever say that out loud.

Madara looked back at him with a frown. "He was supposed to report back today."

"He probably reached the border just today," Izuna reminded him, looking pointedly at the dark skies.

"He's never late with reporting," Madara insisted, turning around fully and crossing his arms, aggravation in the tick of his eyebrow. "Something happened. I can feel it."

Madara had an uncanny ability to sense bad things happening to those he cared deeply about. Considering there were probably only three people in the world Madara truly cared for from the bottom of his heart – Izuna himself, Hashirama, and Tobirama (on good days it also included Tōka and Mito and maybe Hikaku on Fridays when Hikaku treated him to a night of saké, and it occasionally included Kagami when the boy wasn't causing a ruckus in the village with his friends) – Izuna immediately perked up, setting aside the scroll, his features becoming serious.

"I'll go with you," he said without hesitation.

Madara shook his head. "No, you stay here. Hashirama is leaving tomorrow morning to meet with the Land of Fire's representatives. With the three of us gone, you will need to stay to protect the village."

Izuna wanted to protest, but he knew what Madara said was true. Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, and himself were the core of Konoha. They were the most influential and feared village _because_ of their reputations and power built during the warring era, and their abilities to unite multiple powerful clans together. If word got out that all four of them were out of the village…well, that wouldn't be good.

Without another word, Madara left the room with Izuna following close behind. The village was oddly quiet during these late hours, the streets empty of life aside from a few civilians and shinobi returning home from the taverns. They went straight to the Hokage's residence only to find none other than the Hokage's wife, Uzumaki Mito, at the entrance, seeming to have known they would be coming. She stood straight and primly, hands folded in front of her with not a wrinkle in her pristine white robes.

"Mito," Madara said.

"I knew you would come," Mito said, smiling her gentle, pretty smile that would deceive anyone who didn't know she could break a person in half with one punch. "I could sense your disturbed emotions."

Mito was known for her ability to sense hostility and emotions in turmoil. Considering Madara's aggravated pacing since late evening that had woken Izuna after he'd turned in early (Madara's pacing hadn't been _loud_ – it had been as silent as any competent shinobi – but it had been the agitation he felt from his brother that had roused him) he wasn't quite that surprised to see her.

"Hashirama is resting after finishing all of his paperwork…" she said, smiling fondly at the thought of her husband. "I have Tobirama's coordinates, if you wish to know."

"Give it to me," Madara said without preamble.

She handed over the scroll, her smile shifted into a more somber expression. "Please bring him back safe, Madara."

Madara nodded curtly once and turned back towards the Uchiha compound. Izuna followed after a quick word of thanks to Mito.

At the compound, Madara grabbed his pack already assembled for when there were sudden missions. He strapped his newly cleaned gunbai to his back and tugged his black gloves on more snugly. Izuna watched silently from the doorway. It took five days to reach Kumo from Konoha – four to reach the border between Fire Country and Lightning Country. There was no telling what could happen in that time frame.

Tobirama was strong, he knew, strong but–

Even the strongest had weaknesses. Izuna knew it all too well.

 _Tobirama, you idiot_ , Izuna thought fiercely, _If you die, I'll make sure to revive you myself so I can kill you again for hurting my brother!_

Madara finished securing the tanto at the small of his back, pushing his long hair from his face to tighten the knot of the Konoha head protector. The metal gleamed in the candlelight, the swirling leaf symbol – a symbol that signified the warring clans who were now united together – framed proudly on his brother's forehead.

"Stay safe, brother," Izuna said solemnly. _And bring back Tobirama._

Madara reached out and put a firm hand on Izuna's shoulder, dark eyes flickering into the Sharingan with a grim expression. "I will."

With that, Madara was gone, and Izuna was left gazing out the window alone as the clouds filtered over the moon, turning everything pitch black.


	2. Lightning Country

Credits to Kishimoto Masashi for the characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Lightning Country**

* * *

An explosion rocked the earth, toppling the numerous colossal rock formations jutting out from the mountainous country to crest in the clouds. Tobirama dove out of the way as a lightning ninjutsu blitzed through the rising dust, ricocheting off a falling boulder and landing smoothly for a split second before he was on the move once more.

Behind him, another explosion shook the ground with massive tremors. Eyes slicing left, Tobirama side stepped shuriken while simultaneously throwing his own. The solid thunk of metal meeting flesh assured him he'd met his mark, but shuriken wouldn't stop these shinobi. Slow them maybe, but not stop them.

His informant had been followed and subsequently killed by the ambushers mere hours after he'd breached the border between Fire and Lightning, stealing into the country where the hidden village of Kumo resided. There had around thirty nukenin shinobi –– the weakest he'd taken care of first, then the brashest ones that had come at him with much overconfidence. Three full days after his informant had been killed, he'd had little chance given to return to Fire Country. They had been smart about it, blocking off the routes back to the Land of Fire and destroying the land around it. He was known for hiraishin, and they had managed to rid of the hiraishin marks he'd placed as a precaution. The marks were permanent, but only so long as the object he placed it on existed. He was running dangerously low on chakra, and exhaustion was creeping over him.

There were thirteen left, nine jōnin level shinobi and two chūnin level, all a mixture of missing-nin from different villages. The last two were the ones he was most concerned about. Two former Kumo shinobi with startlingly massive amounts of chakra — chakra that he immediately recognized. Only one person he knew contained that deleterious blood-red chakra — Mito, who was the nine-tailed fox's jinchūriki.

"Don't try and run, Senju!"

Tobirama glanced briefly at where the jeering voice called from, narrowing his eyes. Through the cloud of dust and debris, he pinpointed the presence on his right.

"You're outnumbered, Senju."

On his left, the brother of the other. The infamous Gold and Silver brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, had led the ambush. And behind him were the last eleven rogue shinobi. He certainly was outnumbered, but he'd been in worse odds before.

A sudden roar of heat and flames rushed towards him. Tobirama flashed through a few hand signs as he jumped out of the way of a falling rock, boosting off of some large pieces of falling debris for more momentum, and twisted around to face his pursuer on the left in midair.

 _Suiton: Suijinheki!_

The enormous ball of flames rivalling an Uchiha's hit the water wall in an explosion of blistering heat and steam, further obscuring both Tobirama's and his pursuer's vision. Vision mattered little when he was one of the greatest chakra sensors alive.

Tobirama landed against one of the enormous rock formations that littered Lightning Country, the concentrated chakra in his hands and feet securing him on the nearly vertical surface dozens of feet in the air. He peered through the thick veil of dust and steam, assessing his current situation with ruthless calculating calm.

He was limited on the jutsus he could use considering his low levels of chakra. Hiraishin didn't take as much chakra as it did shadow clones, but it would eventually add up with how much he'd been using the convenient teleportation jutsu. It didn't happen often, when he lost so much chakra in only three days. The troublesome chakra absorbing jutsu combined with a specialized barrier technique cleverly used by a pair of missing-nin hailing from Iwa had trapped him and drained an enormous amount of chakra before he'd broken the barrier jutsu and killed the Iwa nukenin. He'd been able to recover some while evading his pursuers, but the pesky sensors in the group were able to find him after half a day. His injuries weren't too debilitating…though the gash he'd just received from one of the missing-nin on his left upper arm was a bit concerning considering the arm and shoulder were going numb, and the injury from the kunai that had managed to puncture his thigh during the ambush was oozing blood through the bandages. He'd only had time to put the wounds in wrappings, but other than that, he only had scratches and bruises.

His weapons were limited as well. He mentally calculated his remaining arsenal, palming the overused, dulled kunai in his hand. Four shuriken, two kunai, eight tags (three of which were exploding tags), and three scrolls. His sword had been broken by several of Ginkaku's monstrous swings of the Shichiseiken sword, and his armor cracked by a doton blow from the Bashōsen, a mystical fan that could produce any nature transformation the user wished to, which Kinkaku wielded.

It seemed that poison was out as they had been trying to incapacitate him rather than kill him. A paralyzing agent, perhaps? He couldn't stop to check the wound now. His death was worth quite an amount, but his capture even more. None had invented as many useful jutsus as he, and he was the brother and advisor of the Hokage — his creations were worth more than the sacrifices of the missing-nin he'd killed, and his intimate knowledge of Konoha, the greatest shinobi village that existed to this day, was an immense treasure trove that many would kill to have.

He narrowed his eyes, noticing several chakra signatures making a beeline towards him. He'd take care of the two sensors first, then the female medic nin who took up position behind everyone and healed them with an anomalous medical ninjutsu that could be used from a distance away — it was useful, but he'd observed her using it only in spurts, likely unable to keep up with the entirety of the injuries. They were all weary from tracking him as well, and several were wounded from his traps and attacks. Two limped, one favored her side, one had lost an arm in a trap, and another's senses were severely dulled from an exploding tag nearly in the face. Those ones would be next, then he'd only have five left.

The Gold and Silver brothers would be the most difficult to deal with. Not only did they wield the treasured tools of the Sage of Six Paths, but the nine-tails's troublesome chakra had already healed the wounds Tobirama had inflicted, and neither seemed drained after the three-day chase. Tobirama's own substantial chakra reserves and formidable stamina, thanks to his Senju blood, had served him well these past three days whereas any other shinobi with normal chakra and stamina would have collapsed from exhaustion. His reserves would only last another half day, but even that was pushing it.

There was no use on dwelling on it. He pinpointed the first chakra signature that met him, launching himself from the rock with so much force that the rock where he stepped imploded into a giant crater.

The sensor knew he was coming, but he was no match for the sheer chakra-enhanced power and speed coming at him. The dulled kunai ripped through flesh and muscle, crushing rib cage and piercing through the man's heart. One sensor down. Tobirama didn't waste a moment, kicking off another rock formation to alter his trajectory and hurling the corpse at another foe.

The dead shinobi was batted aside, but it was enough of a distraction for Tobirama to fling shuriken he'd swiped off of the corpse. The missing-nin — jōnin level — easily parried the throwing weapons, but by the time he had done so, Tobirama was already heading to lower ground, zeroed in on the second sensor.

Just before he reached, he made a sharp turn to avoid the deadly miniature tornado produced from the Bashōsen, just barely grazing by him, but he was forced to halt his turn short as the glowing golden Kōjinkō rope lashed out, missing by mere millimeters. The violent suction of the vortex ripped away the remaining cloth of his right shirt sleeve and shoulder plates, brutally slicing up his uninjured arm in a brief, agonizing moment until he teleported to the bloody kunai he'd thrown several feet away an instant before the tornado had hit. The hiraishin marking on the tattered wrapping glowed faintly blue, having marked it and all of his weapons as a precaution.

Tobirama grunted in some pain as his momentum and the effects of the wind pressure had him sliding back a few steps. If that wind jutsu had hit him full-on, he would have been torn into pieces, and if he hadn't been as fast as he was, his arm would have been ripped off. As it was, his arm was a bloody mess of multiple deep lacerations. He twitched his fingers, curling them experimentally and ignoring the searing pain shooting up the limb. Still useable at least. But in that instant he'd been hit by the Bashōsen's wind chakra transformation, he had known something was amiss...

Ginkaku dropped with an earth-shaking landing before Tobirama, Bashōsen in hand and Benihisago gourd under his other arm. Kinkaku touched down by his brother a second later, brandishing the Shichiseiken and the Kōjinkō wrapped around his burly left arm. The remaining nukenin encircled Tobirama, tensed in readiness. Effortlessly calm even while he breathed heavily from his exertions, Tobirama eyed Kinkaku briefly, wary of the brothers' attempts at trying to strike him with the Kōjinkō. There must be something that the rope contained since they had been so insistent on using it since the ambush.

"No more running, Senju. We've got him now, Kinkaku," Ginkaku, the younger brother, said with a smirk of triumph on his face. His thick silver mane of hair, dark skin, and black horn accessories gave him a feral appearance, and not to mention the whisker-like marks on his cheeks. He was shorter than Kinkaku by a few inches but no less heavily muscled.

"You're right, Ginkaku," Kinkaku said. He looked nearly exactly like his brother but for his golden mane and broader lineaments. "He won't be able to fight back much longer…"

Tobirama pierced the brothers with a cold look. So he'd been right.

"Paralysis, eh," he said. He couldn't feel his left arm, couldn't tell if he could move his fingers. The numbness would gradually spread to encase his entire body, rendering him immobilized for an easy capture. The loss of his left arm hardly mattered since he could still produce significant jutsus with a one-handed seal, but the paralysis drug was affecting his mobility...he normally would have been able to evade the vortex without sustaining any lasting injuries, but his mangled arm was a testament to just how precarious a plight he was in.

Ginkaku's smirk widened. "No one has ever lasted this long against us before...you managed to kill over half of us in only three days. Impressive, isn't he, Kinkaku?"

"He is, Ginkaku," Kinkaku replied with his own smirk, dragging his eyes over Tobirama's frame. "Very impressive."

Tobirama scowled at the leers from the brothers. Well, no matter. They'd fallen into his trap. Though he'd originally planned on eliminating the shinobi one by one in order to preserve his chakra in between each battle and observe the rogue shinobi's goals and skills from various villages, this plan was much faster if messier. Raising his bloody arm, he formed the seal of confrontation, concentrating his chakra for a split second before anyone could move. The four tags he'd placed while under cover of the dust and steam glowed, activating the barrier jutsu and entrapping all of the shinobi within — including Tobirama. It was a decently strong barrier, but the Gold and Silver brothers would be able to break out of it eventually. It was not meant to entrap them for long — just long enough for him to put his plan into motion.

Reaching into the pouch at his waist, he pulled out another tag. Kinkaku's eyes widened, recognizing the inks of an explosive tag.

"Get him, Ginkaku!" Kinkaku roared, racing towards Tobirama.

"Let's go, Kinkaku!" Ginkaku snarled, matching his brother's dead sprint with the other missing-nin following their two leaders close behind.

The brothers were not wrong — it _was_ an exploding tag, but one that Tobirama had modified himself for the use of a completely different technique. He let it flutter from his fingers, and just before a large hand could swipe at him, he vanished.

The brothers bellowed in fury as Tobirama reappeared an instant later outside of the barrier a good distance away on top of a smaller rock formation. One of his remaining two kunai was embedded in the rock next to his foot, one he'd planted right before killing the sensor, the faint glow of the hiraishin mark fading. A sharp burst of chakra detonated the exploding tag.

 _Gojō Kibaku Fuda._

The effect was instantaneous. A near infinite series of explosions as the tag summoned more tags, and each tag after that summoned even more. The thunderous explosions were contained in the barrier only for a few minutes before it burst, unable to hold back the sheer number of powerful explosions. Black smoke billowed out, the scent of burning flesh and land prominent as the damaged terrain permeated in deafening cacophony.

Tobirama remained still, waiting. Four...seven...ten...eleven chakra signatures disappeared as the explosions went on. His entire left side was numb now, and his right arm was growing cold from the blood loss. The din seemed to echo in his mind, eyelids lowering halfway down as black spots speckled his slightly blurred vision. The exhaustion was getting to him...as well as the blood loss and chakra overuse.

An inhuman roar snapped his attention back to where the explosions were beginning to die down. Without warning, two red and black blurs shot out from the smoke, the leaps so powerful that it took them right to where Tobirama stood in an instant.

Tobirama immediately moved to evade, but his left leg and arm were useless at this point, slowing him down by mere milliseconds. Yanking two scrolls from his pack, he tossed them down the side of the rock formation and braced himself. He was hit with such impact that the rock tower he was on cracked beneath him and crumbled into rubble. Tobirama's breath was knocked clean out of him, his ribs audibly snapping as the heavier weight landed on him when he hit the ground a hundred feet below. His armor was done for, shattered from the impact. Blood gurgled in his throat, spilling from his lips lest he choke on his own blood. Tobirama blacked out for an excruciating minute, the scent of burnt flesh and heat filling his nostrils, burning hands holding him down.

" _Senju!_ " the garbled, growling voice that did not belong to a human snarled right in his face.

Tobirama's own flesh began to burn from the sheer heat emanating from the body above him. He managed to pry his eyes open, grimacing to see that the Gold and Silver brothers were still alive and cloaked in the nine-tails's scorching crimson chakra which had likely saved them from the explosions. Their human forms were nearly burned away into black with how blazingly hot the nine-tails's chakra was, skin melting into flesh and muscle and then to charred black, the red chakra visibly bubbling on the surface. The explosions had damaged them, one with an arm hanging and leg limply and half of the other's face and side deformed. Tobirama could see their wounds slowly healing as the nine-tails's chakra bled over them.

" _You almost killed us_ ," the other growled, crouching down to hover over Tobirama's face. He was slightly smaller than the other. Ginkaku.

Kinkaku straddled him, clawed fingers digging painfully into his shoulder — likely his left one, too, not that he could feel it. The pain in his shoulder hardly registered considering he was certain a rib or six had punctured something vital inside him and he was in so much agony he could hardly think let alone try and get away.

" _Wake up, Senju. We're going to make sure you regret these past three days, aren't we, Kinkaku?_ "

" _We're going to make sure he regrets ever meeting us, Ginkaku_ ," Kinkaku snarled before gripping Tobirama's warped breastplate and ripping away the remaining armor and whatever protection Tobirama had left.

"Ngh," Tobirama grimaced at being handled so roughly, forcing himself to feel past the blinding pain. He couldn't die here. He needed to return home, back to Konoha, his students, his brother...Madara. His right hand shot up, gripping the heated arm that was slowly beginning to lose the red chakra as the brothers began to regain their more human forms.

"Stubborn," Kinkaku said in a less demonic-like voice, easily shaking off Tobirama's weakened grip. He seemed pleased by Tobirama's attempt to struggle, sharp teeth bared in a feral grin.

Ginkaku snatched both of Tobirama's wrists, pinning them above his head. Tobirama bit back his gasp of searing agony from the hard yank. Kinkaku tore the rest of Tobirama's ragged shirt away like paper, revealing deep black, red, and purple bruises littering his torso from where his ribs had broken. Blood seeped from numerous lacerations obtained from the sharp, broken rocks around him, painting his pale skin crimson. He winced when Kinkaku trailed a callused clawed finger over the bloodied flesh, excruciatingly sensitive from the beating it had taken.

"You look good in red, Senju," Kinkaku growled, voice deepening with — lust? Two nearly identical heated eyes slid down his bared torso, lean and hard with strong shoulders and pectoral muscles tapering into a svelte waist and hips as a result of his speed-based fighting techniques, his body tuned to near perfection from a lifetime of combat and intense training.

"Don't... _touch_ me," Tobirama managed to spit out before the blood gathering in his throat became too much and he began hacking, distantly wondering which organs had been punctured.

Just as Ginkaku spread a rough hand along his tensed abdominal muscles, stroking down the smooth, pale skin marred by wounds, Kinkaku's weight was suddenly lifted off him. Tobirama glimpsed a black blur hit both Kinkaku and Ginkaku with enough brutal force to send them flying through several rock towers.

Tobirama blinked, having ceased coughing out blood, watching the bristling black form above him with distant curiosity as if he were in a dream.

"Don't you _dare_ touch him again!"

The familiar voice of the enraged bellow had Tobirama blinking again, this time in surprise.

"...Ma...ra…" he tried to speak, but ended up curling into himself as his body automatically convulsed in attempt to rid of the remaining blood in his throat, mouth tasting like iron, like he'd swallowed a gallon of blood. His chest felt as if someone were brutally slamming a red-hot iron club into him with every ragged breath, ears roaring with blood and mind roiling with intense pain.

Madara immediately knelt next to Tobirama, touching him with a gentleness that none would ever believe the Uchiha leader to possess. The fingers caressing his cheek was comforting, touch feather-light as if Madara feared hurting Tobirama more.

Twin furious roars along with bursts of crimson chakra rumbled through the destroyed terrain. Madara stiffened, and that was when Tobirama finally noticed, in his pained daze, the Mangekyō Sharingan spinning in simmering rage in Madara's eyes. Without looking up, Madara carefully brushed back crimson-soaked hair that had once been silvery white. Tobirama turned his head slightly towards the touch as Madara's midnight curtain of hair spilled around him, closing his eyes in a brief reprieve.

"Idiot…" Tobirama managed to say without gagging on the blood, the single admonishment conveying his exasperation at seeing Madara here after _specifically_ leaving his students and brother with instructions to prevent Madara from following him. Again.

The responding smirk didn't quite reach Madara's eyes as he took in the extent of Tobirama's wounds. "As if I wouldn't have gone after you...even if you're always running just out of my reach…"

Tobirama looked away, a flash of guilt rising. It wasn't as if he _disliked_ Madara's advances...It was—

The earth suddenly shook when two malevolent presences made themselves known, bursting from the rubble and rushing towards Madara and Tobirama on their hands and feet like they had truly become savage beasts. Upon reaching them, they straightened to their full heights, red chakra flickering about them, mimicking the fox's appearance with long, pointed ears, crimson eyes, and lengthened claws and fangs. Three chakra tails aggressively whipped back in forth from behind each brother.

" _Uchiha_ ," Ginkaku hissed.

"That one is ours," Kinkaku growled. "Don't interfere."

Madara blinked once, and the simmering rage was suddenly a blazing inferno. Tobirama forcibly pushed back his pain, cursing his paralyzed limbs while Madara slowly straightened to his feet, reaching for the handle of his gunbai.

"You worthless maggots," Madara said in a low and dangerous tone, not bothering to turn and face the Gold and Silver brothers fully. The furious chakra surrounding him was enough to exhibit his displeasure. "How dare you even _think_ of Senju Tobirama as yours."

He turned abruptly, and the brothers took a step back at the raw fury turned upon them. They snarled, crouching into combat stances, seeming smart enough to not look directly into Madara's eyes.

Dark blue chakra flickered, building and growing from Madara. The Gold and Silver brothers tensed as the enormous armored Susanoo came to life in a mass of blazing chakra and furor, the immense pressure of it blowing away the dust and loose gravel. The brothers crossed their arms over their faces to defend from the debris, sliding back a few steps from the intense chakra.

It was an impressive sight even when Tobirama was currently encased inside it.

"So that's the rumored Susanoo," Kinkaku said, a savage grin stealing across his features. "What an honor to battle Uchiha Madara and Senju Tobirama in one day, eh, Ginkaku."

"You're right, Kinkaku," Ginkaku said, matching his brother's grin. "Though the Senju doesn't seem like he'll be much of a fight now."

Red chakra ebbed, seven tails forming for each brother, their skin blackening and burning away. Tobirama had aided in battling the nine-tails and helped Hashirama subdue the tailed beasts. It was no small feat, Hashirama's mokuton jutsu being the unparalleled power to seal the beasts. Out of eight beasts, with Suna having the one-tails, Tobirama had managed to seal away two by himself while Hashirama and Madara had each sealed three.

But these pseudo jinchūriki would be troublesome. Tailed beasts by themselves he could admit were slightly easier to seal whereas jinchūriki made more concentrated attacks wielding both powerful chakra and human-sized bodies that held less mass to put a seal on. These brothers' battle prowess was exceptionally impressive and their teamwork impeccable. They knew how to utilize the nine-tail's chakra expertly, and the combination of their tools made them a deadly duo, though their tools seemed to have been scattered in the explosions.

Tobirama didn't have to tell Madara to be careful. Madara was a powerful shinobi in his own right.

Biting his lip to hold back a pained grunt, Tobirama shakily maneuvered himself to a sitting position with his scarcely usable right arm, flooding chakra throughout his system to numb the pain and pause the external blood flow. Madara tensed.

"Don't move, Tobirama. You'll make your injuries worse," Madara ordered without looking away from the brothers.

Tobirama spat out blood, scowling at his lover's back. "I can still fight. Besides, I can tell you ran all the way here with hardly a break...you're exhausted as well."

Tobirama could see Madara's own scowl without having to look at Madara's face. Tobirama already knew without having to ask that Madara had likely run off after him the moment he'd failed to send a missive back to the village, and considering Tobirama had been on the run for three days, Madara had likely cut down the four-day trip to three, wasting massive amounts of chakra in the process. Closing his eyes briefly, Tobirama forced his right arm to raise, striking several pressure points in his torso and leg. He let out a slow breath, allowing his body to recenter itself. That would slow the paralyzing drug for a little while, but it left his entire left side useless.

Utilizing his bloody arm, he slammed his hand on the ground.

 _Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_

The acrid stench of smoke followed the brief concentrated chakra of a summoning appearing. The smoke quickly cleared, revealing a massive feline beast nearly as tall as Tobirama and easily twice his length. Silky white fur with black stripes brushed against Tobirama's skin.

" _It hast been a long time agone since thee summoned us, cub,_ " the huge white tiger growled in its deep rumbling voice of thunder. Intelligent gold-hued eyes looked over Tobirama's form, the large, broad head lowering to sniff at Tobirama's injuries.

"Byakko," Tobirama greeted, keeping the pain from his voice. This summoning was revered as the king of all beasts, majestic in every way with its long white fur and elegant black stripes. Saber-like teeth filled its mouth, but its piercing gold eyes were more startling than the huge claws and fangs that could tear a person apart in an instant. Rumored to have lived over a thousand years, Byakko ruled the beasts of the western lands in its homeland as its righteous guardian. If its summoner showed any weakness, Byakko would turn against him without hesitation...though their situation was a bit peculiar as Byakko had instigated the contract with Tobirama when he was thirteen.

The feline raised its head, surveying the situation. " _Thine Uchiha-cub displays such wrothful disturbance. The mortals therewith the nine-tails's chakra have caused Uchiha-cub's wroth and thine wounds, hath they not?_ "

"Yes," Tobirama rasped, managing to stand to his feet with Byakko's generous assistance, the beast's head nudging under his arm for support. Tobirama gripped long fur to steady himself, staining the pristine fur with blood. He disregarded Byakko's notion that Madara was _his_. Byakko's way of thinking differed from a human's after all… "Your assistance in defeating them would be appreciated.

" _Thine wounds reek a poisonous odor,_ " Byakko mentioned, a low growl vibrating in its throat, unbothered by Tobirama bleeding all over. " _Erelong cub's limbs shall cease to move._ "

"The beast king is right," Madara said, turning his head to look briefly at Tobirama and Byakko. "You're in no condition to fight."

"That may be true, but it doesn't mean I am down for the count," Tobirama said, causing both Madara and Byakko to glance at him in surprise.

Byakko rumbled in a way that suggested laughter, the curving of its heavy jowls implying a sharp-toothed grin.

" _Clever cub. Twas always thee who would excogitate long afore a battle,_ " Byakko growled approvingly, eyes gleaming with predatory interest. " _Tis been long since we hath been involved in a sanguine venery such as this._ "

Madara sighed. "You're impossible, Tobirama."

"As are you, Madara," Tobirama countered, straightening his stance, pausing briefly only to let the wave a dizziness pass.

Madara barked out a hard laugh. "Fine, then. What's your plan?"

" _We've waited long enough!_ " Ginkaku bellowed before Tobirama could speak.

" _Let's go, Ginkaku!_ " Kinkaku roared, both racing towards the Susanoo barrier without hesitation.

"Just do as you always do," Tobirama said, raising his fingers in the seal of confrontation to concentrate his chakra.

"Fine by me," Madara said, a fierce grin encasing his features as he swung Susanoo's huge fist at the brothers, cracking the earth open and sending debris flying.

Tobirama narrowed his eyes, watching closely as Ginkaku leapt several feet away while Madara aimed another blow at Kinkaku.

"Go, Byakko," Tobirama murmured moments before Ginkaku touched down, the beast bursting from his side in a blur of white. Tobirama steadied himself on trembling legs as his summoning tore after Ginkaku with such speed and power that it left a cloud of dust behind it. The two slammed into each other in a brutal clash of savage claws and fangs, ferocious snarls ripping through the valley.

Sweat beaded against Tobirama's brow, his breaths becoming faster, each drag in and out like a dull blade sawing at his chest, pain pulsing in time to his heartbeat while he watched his summoning battle Ginkaku. His vision was blurring again – a sure sign that he would not last much longer in this battle. He would have to end it quickly.

Byakko clamped powerful jaws down on the back of Ginkaku's neck, thick muscles straining as the summoning twisted violently and flung Ginkaku towards him.

" _Hie, cub!_ " Byakko roared.

Tobirama forced a surge of chakra in the scrolls he had thrown down the rock formation just before he'd been hit by Kinkaku, silently thanking Mito for teaching him her extensive knowledge of fūinjutsu.

The scrolls beneath the rubble nearby glowed brightly, the seals inked on them activating as Ginkaku flew towards them. Two fūinjutsu techniques combined to create an inescapable seal made for beings as powerful as the tailed beasts. He had altered them after Mito had taught him various sealing techniques in case another village attacked Konoha with their tailed beasts. He'd written the seals in the scrolls while on the run from his ambushers upon sensing the nine-tails's chakra from the brothers, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use them. They were still in the experimental stage, but what was the use of a new jutsu without trying it out in the middle of battle?

Ginkaku bellowed frantically upon seeing the glowing seals, tails shooting out to project him in another direction, but it was too late.

"Seal!" Tobirama commanded as the light enveloped the pseudo jinchūriki, cutting off the bestial roar abruptly.

" _Ginkaku!_ " Kinkaku screamed upon seeing his brother vanish into the scrolls. His tails whipped out, smashing the ground beneath Madara's feet and unbalancing him. One shot up from underground, yanking Madara off the ground and hurling him away from the protective Susanoo, the massive chakra lifeform dispersing into the air — something that wouldn't have happened if Madara had not been drained from using chakra to travel here. Snarling, Kinkaku raced towards Tobirama and the scrolls at his feet.

His speed enhanced by the nine-tails chakra was too fast for even Byakko to apprehend, one of the limber tails stretching to snag the scrolls while he lunged and another spearing towards Tobirama. The tail was inches away from piercing through Tobirama's heart when Madara suddenly appeared, shoving Tobirama out of the way. Tobirama's eyes widened as he fell, heart lurching when the tail pierced straight through Madara's abdomen before being yanked out.

"Ghhkk!" Madara grunted, falling to the ground, clutching at the gaping hole to keep his guts from spilling out.

Kinkaku swiftly rolled to his feet, all nine tails whipping about him.

" _Senju!_ " he snarled in his garbled, nearly unintelligible voice, crimson eyes filled with hate. " _You will pay for this!_ "

With that, Kinkaku leapt up to a rock formation, speeding off into the distance with the scrolls in his clutches. Without his brother, Kinkaku would be no match for the combination of Madara, Tobirama, and the beast king even injured as they were. Using his chakra and the nine-tail's chakra so extensively had left him nearly burned out with no choice but to flee.

" _Shall we pursue?_ " Byakko growled, tensed for chase. Its fur was coated in blood, dripping to the earth in small rivulets. Ginkaku had injured the summoning quite severely, large patches of fur torn off from deep gouges and half of the beast's face bloodied.

"No," Tobirama grunted when his ribs protested the hard fall. The Gold and Silver brothers were defeated for now and would likely come for him in the future if Kinkaku ever figured out how to release Ginkaku from the seal. Aside from that, Madara was growing paler by the second as blood pooled beneath him. "Please take us back to Konoha, Byakko."

Byakko bowed its massive head, something resembling concern in its eyes when it saw Tobirama's severely weakened state. " _Aye, cub_."

Tobirama trusted that the beast king would get them home, dead or alive. Tobirama slumped by Madara, reaching out a trembling hand to grasp his lover's gloved hand. Madara coughed out a gush of blood, black eyes gazing intently at Tobirama while he squeezed Tobirama's hand in some assurance. Heart in his throat, Tobirama weakly gripped Madara's hand in return.

Tobirama had no strength to scold him for worrying when Madara was in nearly as bad shape as him. He couldn't stop his eyes from slipping shut, blackness encasing him as the excruciating pain finally began to fade, but he was content because of the warm, familiar presence beside him.

He was safe.

* * *

A/N: Please feel free to correct my attempts at stringing together archaic words lol.


End file.
